Nocturne
by Peppermint Cactus
Summary: After escaping from Silent Hill, James tries to return to life as normal. His father offers him a place in South Ashfield Heights- unfortunately, he accepts that offer. Eventual James/Henry, hints of Walter/Henry
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: So maybe I'm trying to write again... The poor Silent Hill fandom seems to be dying out, we should like- fix that.

Disclaimer: If I owned Silent Hill, Downpour wouldn't have been a thing. :/

The drive out of Silent Hill was so normal that James almost couldn't bring himself to keep going. As he watched the town of Silent Hill shrink away into the distance, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, the exhale of stale air sounding like a soft wheeze. Somehow, he thought that when he reached the edge of the fog, the world would suddenly crumble away, and he would be left wandering again. However, it receded, showing the winding road back down to Brahms.

As signs of life began to pass him, he wondered how long he'd been gone. None of the clocks worked in Silent Hill; sure they may have ticked maddeningly, but where one would read three in the afternoon, two others would say that it was one and midnight respectively. The dash clock read seven-fifty am, the morning of God only knew when. In reality, it shouldn't have been more than a day or two. He remembered sleeping, and passing out on occasion, but none of that should have amounted to more than six hours or so. A large neon sign ahead of him read 'Lydia's Gas and Motel', it looked like it was open.

The sight of cars in the parking lot, idling outside the diner, and parked at the fuel pumps made his pulse quicken and he sucked in a breath. Actual people, he thought, there's other human beings here. An old man pumped gas into his car, a teenage girl fiddled with her ipod before sliding back into the passenger's seat of another- they were all alive. So alive and untouched by the horrors of Silent Hill…

James pushed back a section of matted blonde hair as he pulled into a parking space. He took a moment to look at himself in the driver's side vanity mirror, grimacing at the sorry sight he was met with. Fumbling around for a moment, he withdrew a small pack of wet wipes from the glove compartment, using them to clean his face and hands. His jacket had been torn and stained by all manner of horrors, so he opted to leave that behind. He shrugged said article of clothing off and tossed it into the back seat, taking one more moment to assess his current condition: he just looked tired, that was better than being covered in an amalgam of blood, soot, sweat, and mist.

Once inside, he ordered a few things from the menu, making sure to ask the waitress for an extra mug of coffee. He intended to drive straight home, he didn't know what he would do when he got there, but it was a start. While he waited, he took a newspaper from one of the stands and returned to his booth, his eyes immediately scanning the top for the date.

James exhaled sharply, one month… An entire month he'd spent in that hellish nightmare. Questions buzzed around in his brain like angry bees; how could he have survived that long? Was time really that different? He rose swiftly from the red vinyl once more, this time headed for one of the payphones in the back of the diner. He spent the last of his change on the call and waited anxiously as the phone rang.

"This is the Sunnyview Apartment lobby office, how may I help you?"

"This is James… ah- Sunderland. I…" He stopped, because just WHAT was he going to tell her? I've been trapped in a nightmare reality for a month? That would just sound like he was dodging his rent.

" ?!" The receptionist sounded surprised, and a moment later he could hear papers shuffling. "By God's name, we thought something terrible had happened to you- the police were called and…Sarah-! Sarah, come here!" More papers, and a moment later the sound of the phone being handed away.

"James? Goodness…" His landlord, Sarah Winters, had always been pleasant to him. She sounded terrified…

"Uh, yeah, I've… Has it really been a month?" He asked, his grip on the phone tightening.

"Yes! Where have you been? We got in touch with your father and he had all of your things transferred into storage. We couldn't just leave the room, you were a missing person…"

"I, well- I don't know where I've been, to be honest. I went to Silent Hill on vacation," it was a blatant lie, but she dind't need to know that. "I don't remember anything from the last month."

"Where are you now? Have you called your father?"

James shook his head, then sighed heavily, "no, I haven't talked to him yet… I'm at a diner, just outside of Silent Hill." Across the room, he saw the waitress set his food down, nodding in his direction. His stomach gurgled and he realized just how hungry he was. "sarah, listen, I'm driving back tonight- will you be there?"

"Of course, James. Make sure you call your father, he's been worried sick."

"I will…" Then, after a moment he added, "thank you, Sarah."

James set the phone down and stood there for a few moments, staring at the chipped paint and fading numbers without really seeing them. He resolved to call his father after eating, maybe then he would know what to say. He could never lie to Frank… And now that he knew he was a murderer- the thought soured his stomach and sent a shiver through him. Surely, surely his father would be able to sense it; and then what? No, he told himself, eat first and deal with that later. Numbly, he returned to his booth and began to eat. Outside the window, he still couldn't see the sky through the mist, he wondered if he would ever be allowed to see sunshine again. It was a silly thing to think, but after all that had happened, James wasn't so sure he had actually left.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I apologize for how utterly _boring_ this is starting off. Give it time ya'll.

Disclaimer: As usual I own nothing.

* * *

Even after eating, James stared at the phone for another half an hour before finally, with shaking hands, picking it up and dialing. After a few rings, he heard a familiar, albeit tired voice on the other end. Part of James had hoped that maybe his father wouldn't be around; maybe he had left the apartment business in the month that he was gone- wishful thinking.

"Dad," he didn't intend on his voice being so shaken.

"James?!" There was a stunned disbelief from the other side of the phone, "my God! I thought you were dead! After Mary you… Oh, James."

"Dad, I'm sorry. I went to Silent Hill; I don't know what happened after." That, of course, was a blatant lie- but how could he tell him? He'd killed… Not only Mary, but a kid as well. How could he claim self-defense when he was already a murderer?

His mind raced.

His father cleared his throat, "where are you?"

"I'm just outside of Silent Hill; I'm uh, going home."

There was a pause and a sigh on the other end, "come to South Ashfield, we couldn't keep your apartment for this long. I've seen that your things have all been stored."

"…I will," outside, a clap of thunder shook the ground and James winced. "I'll see you later, dad."

He disconnected and began the walk back to his car, by now the rain was coming down in sheets, and whoever had been outside had scattered to stand underneath the various overhangs. The cold was seeping into his bones now, and he vaguely tried to remember the last time he'd felt warm.

By the time he made it back to what had been his old apartment, it was already early in the afternoon. The first thing James saw in the office was an older woman, fretting over paperwork. Her brown hair had since grayed, though her blue eyes still held a youthful sparkle. She was wearing a comically out of date floral print dress that was belted in the middle, no doubt a relic from her younger days. Sarah had been the manager at Sunnyview for as long as James could remember, and she had always had a certain kind of softness towards him and Mary. He supposed it was because she was an older woman without any children or grandchildren of her own. James would have liked to have her around when they finally decided to have a child… Now that wasn't going to happen.

He caught her eye and raised a hand in a half-hearted way of greeting. Sarah dropped the papers she was sorting through and rushed to the door, opening it and all but sweeping him inside. The apartment office was somewhere he was familiar with, with its framed pictures of cats and plush carpeting- it was a lot like Sarah's apartment.

"James, we had such a fright when you left," he could tell she wanted to ask him more, but was holding back out of respect. She did, however, have one hand on his shoulder as they walked to sit down; it remained even after they had taken a seat. James knew what she wanted to ask, he understood the strained look in her eyes. Was it because of Mary? Even though she hadn't said it, the question hung like an accusation.

"I'm sorry to cause you so much trouble, Sarah. I'm not sure what happened while I was gone," he didn't want to add in that he really didn't have any idea where the time went. To Sarah and his father, it probably seemed like he had just needed time alone and, in a deep state of depression, couldn't be bothered to tell anyone his whereabouts or how long he was going to be gone.

"That's all in the past now, James. We're just glad you came home in one piece…" Sarah took the stack of papers she had been fiddling with when James had entered the room and presented it to him. "This is everything from when you were gone, you don't need to worry about any missed rent, but we do need to go down to the police and let them know you're home safe. I'd imagine this is something you want to do after you've had some rest."

James nodded dumbly, the normalcy of everything still striking him stupid. "My father wants me to stay with him for a while; I think it would be a good idea…" He trailed off.

"Of course, we understand. He has the location and lock for your storage container; it isn't too far from here- if you need any help at all unpacking you give me a call, alright?"

He felt tired, dirty, and sore- going out to a storage container was the least of his worries. Instead, thanked her for doing so much and excused himself. With papers in tow, he returned to his car, giving Sarah a small wave as her office disappeared from view. His father's apartment complex was a few hours away at least, but he knew the trip was something he needed to take immediately.

After stopping at a payphone to check the status of his various credit cards and his bank account, he finally began the journey to his new home. At the moment, he didn't feel much regarding it, he hadn't felt anything other than dread all day. Now, he was just tired.

When he finally made it to South Ashfield, his father was waiting for him. During the drive there, James had thought about at least two hundred ways the meeting would go, all of them left him feeling sick and lightheaded. Anything he had planned on saying, anything he had rehearsed all flew out the window as he all but crumpled to the ground. His father pulled him into a hug but, wisely, said nothing. After a few moments trying to compose himself, James managed a strained whisper.

"She's dead. She's dead and I killed her."


End file.
